Silent flushing apparatus



Dec; 15, 1931. D, TRACEY 1,836,632

SILENT FLUSHING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 15, 1929 [WU-6777 07 M -V,

Patented Dec. 15, 1931 PATENT OFFICE DANIEL F. TBACEY OF HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA SILENT I'LUSHING APPARATUS Application filed October 15,1929. Serial No. 399,767.

Generically this invention relates to flushing tanks having a valve inlet and a siphon outlet and is primarily designed to efi'ect the noiseless flow of fluid into the tank and likewise noiseless exhaust of the fluid therefrom.

One of the principal objects of this invention is the provision of a siphon and means coacting therewith to control the 'fluid exhaust from the tank through said siphon to efiectuate its silent em tying and at the same time permit its re lling withoutcontinuous siphoning action.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a siphon provided with a series of graduated perforations in its free ex tremity, a movable cup embracing said extremity, normally seating on the bottom of the tank but movable to contact the open end of said siphon and seal the same when the Water has receded to a predetermined point, said air inlet perforations and cup coacting with said siphon to effectuate the noiseless emptying of the tank.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawfings, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures, of I which: I

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the tank and closure therefor and the movable cup and valve, with siphon and valve control mechanism in elevation and showing movement of the latter in dotted outline.

7 Fig. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the v tank closure. 7

The flush tanksand operating mechanisms with which 1 am familiar have proven deficient, in that the siphoning action is attended by considerable noise which is likewise true of the refilling operation; further deficiencies being that such fluid inlet control mechanisms comprising a valve actuated arm havin a ball mounted on its free end adapted to ollow the water level in either ascending or descending direction often through wear and tear becomes out of plumb in its line of travel, either causing a valve leakage or binding against the wall of the tank thereby preventing the valve from completely closing, or from deterioration requiring frequent replacement,such leakage not only bein inherently undersirable but effecting consi erable noise in addition to that attendant upon the normal filling of the tank; likewise the siphoning action in emptying the tank in such devices produces an undesirable noise, t

and it was to overcome the deficiencies of such devices, and to provide an inlet valve control mechanism positive in operation, comprising a valve control trigger coacting with said arm to actuate the valve'in closing direction at predetermined intervals during the refilling of the tank to control the fluid flow to efiect the noiseless filling of the tank, said Wei hted arm adapted to normally maintain sai valve in closed position, and means a closure therefor B, an inlet valve control mechanism C, and a siphon mechanism D, and which will be more fully'hereinafter described under the respectiveheadings Tank structure, Valve control mechanism, Siphon mechanism, Operation, and Conclusion. i

' Tank structure The tank A, in the present instance of rectangular configuration, is formed with sides including 1 and 2, and bottom 3 provided with an opening 4 adapted to receive an outlet conduit hereinafter described and an opening 5 adapted to receive an inlet conduit as hereinafter more fully appearing.

action during emptying ofthe The tank A is provided with a closure B conforming in configuration to that of the tank and formed on its under surface with a vertically depending flange 6 spaced from the end and side edges of said closure to form lateral flange 7. Said flange 7 is adapted to seat on the ends and side walls of tankA,

and the flangejfj is adapted to extend within the tank and snugly engage the innerjsurfaces of said sides and ends to provide a substantially air tight container and to-"constitute an air chamber 8. Substantially central of one side of the closure, said flange extends inwardly at right angles to .the edge of the closure and then parallel with the flange of the opposite-side and outwardly to form a recess chamber 9 adapted to receive the upper end of the siphon when the closure is operativly positioned, and is formed with an air outlet-aperture 10, for ajpurpose hereinafter more fullyappea'ring.

ll-into chamber 12 as desired." 'I-ntegrally formed-on tubular member 11 above chamber 12 are lips 17 between which are mounted on pin 18, toe portion l9 of valve operating arm 20, said toe extending'through opening 21 of-tubular member 11. The free end 'of said toe 19 is adapted to extendwithin a suitable opening in valve stem 15 for vertical reciprocation of said stem, as shown by. dotted lines. Arm 20 is normally adapted to rest in aperpendicular position and terminates at its upper end in T-member 22 which is formed with alongitudinal bore adapted to slidably receive one end of rod 23, the other end of said rod having ball member 24 suitablysecured thereon, said rod 23j being secured in-any desired adjusted position-by thumb screw 25, "as will be apparent without further description. 5,, I

; An L shapedsupport arm, apertured to register with opening 5 is adapted to'seaton bottom 3, secured in any suitable manner to the side 1, and is formed with an apertured projection 26: to which is" hingedly' secured trigger member 27, by pin 28; The central portion of saidtriggerz27is cut outtopro vide slot 29 and rearwardly projecting finger 30, formed at its free end with downwardly extending catch 31. The lower wall of slot 29 is formed with anup-wa'rdly projeotiniggcatch tank filling direction as will hereinafter more fully appear. 1A laterally extending lug 34 is suitably formed on or secured to the free end of arm 27 threadedly apertured to receive stem 35 o'ffioat36, suitably mounted on the upper end thereof.

It is'app'arent that actuation of steam 35 in projection 34 will effect vertical adjustment of said stem andfloat with respect to trigger 27. .HoWever,if desired, float 36 may beadjustably mounted on said stem to eifect adjustment of trigger 27 with respect to a predetermined water level point. s I While the weight of ball 24 will normally retain the valve 16 in closed position through the instrumentality of arm29, yet, in order to effect positive sealing of 'said valve in cases; of extra high water-pressure, a lock arm 37, terminating at its upper end in weight 38,and:its' lower end-in branch fingers 39 and 40, respectively, the said arm 37 extending at an angle with respect to said branches and pivo-tally mountedsubstantially central of its length, on pin 41 suitably mounted in the rear side of tank A, extendingto the exterior thereof, and suitably keyed or otherwise secured to the free lend of said .pin 41 is operating handle42. The said ball or Weight 24 is formed on its uppersurface with a horizontal seat portion 43, adapted to be normally engaged by finger 39 to fixedly maintain the said ball 24 in valve closing position. The latter i'slalso formed with a lug. 44,'norma lly positioned between said fingers 39 and 40 and adapted to, be engaged by 'finger 40 upon actuation of handle'42 to effect movementof'arm 20 to the position shown in dotted outline to effect opening of valve'lfi, as will hereinafter appear. i

' Siphon mechanism j c The saidsiphon D is adapted to be mounted within the reservoir or tank A withits'lower end 45' extending through opening 4 in bottom -3-,for connectionwiththe bowl or element to be flushed, as will be clear without-further description. The upper; or bent'end of 'said siphon is adapted to extend above the normal water line andintorecess-or air goutlet chamber 9, and inlet pipe'47' is adapted to have one endcornmunicating withithe tofpof the short :l'egi of siphon D as tatj48, and extends downwardlyparallel with said leg to a predetermined "point, with its open end in the present instance substantially centralof the tan-k A, as at 49; Adjacent .toj its lower or inletend siphon D isformed with-a series of spaced, graduated "openings 50, 51 and '52 respectively. 1 While these openings' may Jae varied according to the exigencies of the particular requirements, in the present instance, they are graduated so that 52 is 51 is and 50 which operates to control the admission of air to said siphon for a purpose hereinafter to appear. I I p A metallic cup 53, with its bottom diameter substantially the same as that of siphon D, and its open end of greater diameter, is adapted to seat on bot-tom 3 and to embrace the'free end of said siphon member with its upper edge normally extending slightly above the uppermost opening 52, so that as long as the cup is filled with water said opening is sealed, as will be more fully apparent from the operation of the deivce.

Operation While the operation of this device would seem to be clear from the above description, it might be well to go into further detail as to the coordination of the components forming the subject matter of my invention, and by means of which the noiseless filling and exhausting of the tank is effected.

Assuming that the tank is filled to normal water level as at 54, actuation of handle 42 will effect engagement of finger 30 with lug 44, and will give sufiicient impetus to weight 24 aided by the opening of valve 16 to impel the arm 20 to the position shown in dotted outline, thereby opening the valve 16, whereupon the pin 33 will engage catch 32, and maintain said valve in open position.

As the water rises above the normal water line air will be expelled through opening 10 in chamber 9, but the air in chamber 8 will be trapped, thereby effecting a quick rising of the water level above and around siphon D, which will start the siphoning action of the latter, and as the water level recedes or drops, the float 36, through the instrumentality of arm 35, will lower trigger 27, while weight 24 will move arm 20 to effect engagement of pin 33 with, catch 31, thereby partially closing valve 16, with a consequent decrease in the flow of water into the tank; when the water level has reached the open end 49 of air inlet 47 a sufficient amount of air will be drawn into the siphon to slow up the siphoning action but not completely stop it, and when said level recedes to its predeterminedlow water level cup 53 will' be drawn upward to seal the bottom opening of the siphon D and as the water is exhausted from the cup, a small amount'of air will be admitted through opening 52 which will tend to effect a further slowing up of the siphon, and a greater amount through 51, which will effect its still further slowing up, and through opening 50, to completely stop said siphon.

As the water level rises in the tank, float 36 will elevate the trigger 27, releasing pin 33 from catch 31, whereupon weight 42 will slowly move arm 20 to its original perpendicular position to completely close valve 16 by the time the water reaches its normal water level, 54, and float 36 its initial position.

It is apparent that the cup 53 will remain in its elevated.position until the water nearly reaches the extremity 49 of pipe 47, at which point it will be filled, causing it to drop back to its initial position on the bottom 3.

It will thus be seen by initially permitting full volume inflow ofvalve 16, and when the water has reached a predetermined level, partially closing the said valve, the inrush of water during the entire filling of the tank will be prevented and a noiseless filling of the tank will thereby be effected, and that by virtue of air chamber 9, a quick submerging of the siphon is effected, greatly reducing the time and amount of water necessary to effect the starting of the siphon and by the co-action of the siphon inlet 47, openings 50-52, and cup 53, a graduated control for the admission of air into the siphon and a consequent slowing up of the siphoning action efi'ects the noiseless exhaust of the tank contents as will be apparent from the above description.

Conclusion From the above, it is apparent that I have designed a flush tank apparatus, comprising an inlet valve mechanism, operable noiselessly to fill the tank, and a siphon device to noiselessly effect the exhausting of the tank, capable of long and continuous hard usage, simple in construction, manufacturable at a reasonable cost and eflicient for the purposes intended.

It will likewise be observed that I have designed a silent flushing tank amaaratus including a novel tank structure, and an inlet valve mechanism and siphon device for effecting the noiseless filling and exhausting of the tank, so correlated that the water will be exhausted from the tank and the inflow,

while uickly filling the same, will not reach the sip on before it is emptied, thereby prematurely starting the siphoning action as is prevalent in flushing devices now in use.

Although in practice I have found that the form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and referred to in the above description as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet realizing the conditions concurrent with the. adoption of my invention will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts, may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or sacrificing any of the principles of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire protected by Letters Patent is as set forth in the following claims:

1. Asilentflushing tank comprising a reservoir, a closure for said reservoir, said closure constituting. an air trapping chamber and an air outlet chamber, a source of water supply, a valve mechanism controlling the water supply,means.for operating the valve mechanism, a siphon device for exhausting the reservoir, and means in connection with the device for silencing the exhaust, said meansincludingv-air inlet means adjacent the .open end of said siphon device, and air inlet .means located central of the tank for effect- I in -siphonic retardationin advance of said o I u o first mentioned air inlet means.

2. A silent flushing tank comprising a reservoir-havmgan open end, a closure for said open end,-said closure formed with .a flange IOVICl-iIl an airtra 3 oin chamber and an b 23 air outlet chamber,said flange constituting a closure securing means and effectlng an air-tight connection between said trapping chamber and tank,-a valve mechanism con- 7 water supply, a valve mechanism controlling the supply to the reservoir, means for operating the valve mechanism, a. siphon device for exhausting the reservoir, having its upper end extending within the air outlet chamber, air inlet means, including a series of openings adjacent its lower end, and a cup member embracing said lower end and movable to contact with same, whereby quick seal-m ofthe'siphon and silencing of the er'iliaust is eiiected. f V

4. A flush tank of the character described comprising a tank, a closure therefore, means for supp lying water thereto, a siphon ex? haust, means for admitting airto said siphon so as to -silence the same, and means n con 1 nection with the closure for rapidly accel crating the rise of the-water as it'approa'ches the upper end of the siphon. to efiect rapid siphonic action, an air inlet means located central of the tank-for eliecting siphonic re tardation in advance of said first mentioned air admission means. r I I -5. A .flush tank or" the character described comprisinga tank, a closure therefore, means for supplying ,water thereto, a siphon exhaust, meansfor admitting air to said siphon in gradually increased volume so as to silence the same, and meansin connection with the closure for rapidly acceleratingutherise of the wateras it approaches the upper endof the siphon to effect-rapid siphonic action, an air inlet means located central ofthe tank for'eiiecting siphonic retardation in advance of said first mentionedair admission means.

6. A flush tank of the character described comprising a tank, a closure therefore, means for supplying water thereto, a siphon exhaust, means for 'admltting air to said siphon in gradually increased volume so asto silence the'same, and air. compression means in con- .nection with the closure for rapidly'accelerating the rise of the wateras 1t approaches the upper end of the siphontoefiect rapid comprising a tank, a closure therefore, means for supplying water thereto, a siphon en haust, means for admittingair to said siphon 1n gradually increased volume adgacent its open end, and additional means coacting with said air admitting means adapted to seal said'lower' end and efiect silencing'of the exhaust, and means in connection with the closure for rapidly accelerating the rise of the water as it approaches the'upper end of the siphon to effect rapid siphoning action,

" an air inlet-.means located central of the tank for efiectingsiphonic retardation in advance or" the air inlet means adjacent its open end. 8. A flush tank of the character described comprising a tank, a closure therefore, means for supplying water thereto, a siphon exhaust including an air inletdeviceya series of graduated air inlet openings adjacent its open end, a tapered cup means embracing said-open end coacting with said openings and movable to contact the bottom and lower exterior surface of said siphon to seal said lower end and effect silencing of the exhaust, and means in connection with the closure 'for rapidly accelerating the rise of the water as it approaches the upper end of the siphon to effect rapidsiphonicaction. e

9. A silentfiushing tank comprising a reservoir, a closure for said reservoir including an air'compression chamber and an air out let, a source of water supply, means for-con trolling the water supply, and a siphon, device for exhausting the reservoir, whereby when the Water in tank filling direction reaches said chamber air will be compressed therein causing the water to quickly raise around the upper end of said siphon to start the siphoning action and efiect rapid exhausting of the reservoir, and means in; connection with the device for silencing the V exhaust, said means includingai-rinlets adjacent the open end ofthe siphon, and air inlet meanslocated central ofthe-itank for'efiectm in ing siphonic retardation in advance of said first mentioned air inlets.

10. A silent flushing tank comprising a reservoir, a closure for said reservoir, means for supplying water to said reservoir, siphon means for exhausting the reservoir, and air compression means in connection with said closure, whereby when the water has reached a predetermined point in tank filling direction it will be restricted and accelerated in rising direction about the upper end of said siphon to effect quick starting of the siphoning action and effect rapid exhausting of said tank, and means for silencing the exhaust, said means including air inlets adjacent the open end of the siphon, and air inlet means located central of the tank for effecting siphonic retardation in advance of said first mentioned air inlets.

This specification signed this 23 day of September, A. D. 1929.

DANIEL F. TRACEY. 

